Chapter 4 Early the next morning, Chloe handed the consent form to Priscilla. With the guardian's signature, Priscilla couldn't persuade her further and had to go through the motions and process the paperwork. Chloe's SAT score was just over three hundred, a result so bad it was cringeworthy, landing her straight into Class 20, notorious for being the science class full of duds. The head teacher of Class 20 was Gianna Nixon, a middle-aged woman, who shook her head upon seeing Chloe. 'Couldn't even handle liberal arts, now trying science? She's treating school like a joke. 'My class was already a bottom-feeder, and now the school's throwing an even worse one in. Fine, might as well just let it all slide… she complained inwardly. Chloe followed her to the new classroom. "Look, Gianna's brought a cute girl in." We got a transfer student?" "Hey, Callum, wake up. It's that girl from yesterday!" Callum had been snoozing in the classroom since early morning. Woken up by his sidekick Vincent Powell, he was full of morning grouch, ready to blow up, when he lifted his head and saw the girl standing on the podium. "Hi everyone, I'm Chloe Lancaster, glad to be your classmate," she introduced herself. Gianna pointed to the only empty seat in the last row. "You can sit there." Chloe grabbed her backpack and walked over. Raising an eyebrow, she smiled. What a coincidence. "Humph!" Callum leaned back in his chair, propping his head with his hand, a smirk on his lips. "First, you tried to catch my eye, then you stalked me, and now you're transferring to my class, sitting next to me. Spill, what's your deal with me?" Chloe was left speechless. She pulled out her textbook and got down to business, not even bothering to give him an extra glance. "Wild bro, she's ignoring you," Vincent whispered. "We gotta teach her a lesson." Then, Callum directly snatched her book, mocking, "I heard you only got over 300 points on the SAT. Worse than my score. And you're still not giving up? Just wasting resources. Might as well go feed pigs on the farm." Vincent chimed in while laughing, "Yeah, go feed pigs." Chloe shot Callum a cold glance, shooting back, "Looks like I didn't hit hard enough last night, cause my hand is itching for more." Then, she stood up and grabbed a chair. It was self-study time; the teacher wasn't around, and the class was noisy. Only a few were actually studying. Seeing this scene, everyone turned their heads. The chair was just inches above Callum's head. He took a deep breath, believing she would really smash it down. After all, he had already lost twice to this woman and knew he wasn't her match. "Look, she's getting angry," he sneered. "Just joking around. Can't stand a joke?" 1/3 Chloe put down the chair, retorting, "I was just joking, too. Scared already?" "Scared? Who?" Vincent challenged fiercely, "Callum isn't afraid of you. We'll settle this after school one-on-one." Callum murmured inwardly, 'One-on-one fight? Forget it; I can't win. But ganging up on a girl did tarnish his reputation as a campus bully. Chloe continued reading but couldn't help feeling uneasy. Afternoon study sessions at Erord College were optional. After school ended in the evening, she hailed a cab straight to Octmond Villa. "This place houses big shots; apparently an old-established family." The driver parked at the gate with curiosity written all over his face. "Young lady, do you know the owner of this house?" Chloe nodded and got out of the car. This was once her house, prepared by the Rhodes family when she married years ago-a blend of modern and traditional styles. Back then, it was on the outskirts of Erord; now it was part of downtown, surrounded by skyscrapers, yet it remained lush and quiet. The manor must have been renovated multiple times, with the exterior walls now painted in a more antique and elegant shade. She stepped up the stairs, and before she could even knock, the door suddenly swung open from within. Having barely slept all night, Michael looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. Seeing the young girl standing at his doorstep, he frowned, recognizing her soon. "Miss Lancaster?" In this world, there was almost no one who dared to call his grandpa by name, so naturally, he remembered this face. "Mr. Rhodes," Chloe began, "I heard that your grandpa is seriously ill, so I came to visit him. I hope you don't mind." Michael narrowed his eyes. The Rhodes family was constantly hounded by reporters, which was extremely annoying, so their private residence had never been disclosed to the public. Apart from close friends and relatives, basically no one knew where the Rhodes family lived. He couldn't help wondering who this girl was and how she found her way here. "Don't be surprised, Mr. Rhodes," Chloe said with a smile. "If I'm not mistaken, the password for the most core safe of the Rhodes Group should be…" She smoothly recited a string of keys. "You…" Michael was usually composed, rarely showing much emotion, but now, he was visibly shaken. The password for the core security room of the Rhodes Group was known only to the head of the company, a 26-digit code that changed every month, making it impossible for it to be leaked. Seeing his reaction, Chloe knew she had guessed right. This set of keys was something she had designed back then, used in various places in the Rhodes family. On the surface, they were letters, but in fact, they corresponded to dates, which were then converted into a complex system and subjected to a fixed offset. Although it changed every month, as long as she knew the date, she could calculate the key currently used. "Now, can I go in to visit him?" she asked. Michael looked at her deeply. After about a minute, or maybe longer, he stepped aside. "Miss Lancaster, please." In the Rhodes family, only his grandpa and he knew the key. He would never have told it to outsiders, so it must have been his grandpa. Then, why would Grandpa tell such an important thing to a young girl? Could it be that one of Miss Lancaster's elders had a close relationship with Grandpa? 2/3 Michael always prided himself on his high intelligence, but now he was utterly puzzled. He shot the butler a look. Right at the villa's entrance, there was a natural lake full of lotus flowers. It was September now, the blooms were gone, with just leaves left. Chloe gazed at the lotus pond, memories flashing like smoke, and she bit her lip tightly. Stepping into the house, she saw all sorts of medical equipment everywhere. An old man was lying pale on the bed, those wrinkles piercing Chloe's heart like needles. She thought it'd be hard to accept such an old son. But in reality, at first sight, the natural bond of mother and child took over all emotions. "Tris," she softly called Tristan's nickname. Michael swallowed hard. What did I just hear? Tris? This Miss Lancaster's elder calls Grandpa that? What's the deal between them?' he wondered. Before he figured it out, Chloe sat by the bed, tears in her eyes, holding the old man's hand, placing it on her face. Boom! He felt his brain explode. "Sir." The butler hurried over just then. "Got it." A thin sheet covered Chloe's info. The Lancaster family's eldest daughter. Parents' divorce war blew up when she was a kid-stuck with mom till two months back. Custody papers were flipped to her dad. Now studying at Erord College. Michael said slowly, "Check if her elders have any ties to the Rhodes family." Five minutes later, the butler returned. "The Lancaster family's not from Erord, moved here in the 80s, no business dealings with us. Miss Lancaster's mom's surname is Coleman; ancestors all farmers, no ties to the Rhodes family either." 3/3